perverse

adjective

per·​verse (ˌ)pər-ˈvərs How to pronounce perverse (audio)
ˈpər-ˌvərs
Synonyms of perversenext
1
a
: turned away from what is right or good : corrupt
b
: improper, incorrect
c
: contrary to the evidence or the direction of the judge on a point of law
perverse verdict
2
a
: obstinate in opposing what is right, reasonable, or accepted : wrongheaded
b
: arising from or indicative of stubbornness or obstinacy
3
: marked by peevishness or petulance : cranky
4
: marked by perversion
perversely adverb
perverseness noun
perversity
pər-ˈvər-sə-tē How to pronounce perverse (audio)
-stē
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for perverse

contrary, perverse, restive, balky, wayward mean inclined to resist authority or control.

contrary implies a temperamental unwillingness to accept orders or advice.

a contrary child

perverse may imply wrongheaded, determined, or cranky opposition to what is reasonable or normal.

a perverse, intractable critic

restive suggests unwillingness or inability to submit to discipline or follow orders.

tired soldiers growing restive

balky suggests a refusing to proceed in a desired direction or course of action.

a balky witness

wayward suggests strong-willed capriciousness and irregularity in behavior.

a school for wayward youths

Examples of perverse in a Sentence

their perverse cruelty to animals She has a perverse fascination with death. He seems to take perverse pleasure in making things as difficult as possible. His friends all enjoy his perverse sense of humor. Is this some kind of perverse joke?
Recent Examples on the Web Mongolia’s coal addiction is especially perverse considering the bounty of clean power at its disposal. —TIME, 14 May 2024 These videos may have been funny at first, but watching someone literally break their finger in this perverse display of faith in Tesla or Cybertrucks or Elon Musk more broadly is getting pretty disturbing. —Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for perverse 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perverse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French purvers, pervers, from Latin perversus, from past participle of pervertere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of perverse was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing perverse

Dictionary Entries Near perverse

per verba de praesenti

perverse

perversion

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Perverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perverse. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

perverse

adjective
per·​verse (ˌ)pər-ˈvərs How to pronounce perverse (audio)
ˈpər-ˌvərs
1
: morally bad : corrupt
2
: stubborn in opposing what is right, reasonable, or accepted : wrongheaded
3
: irritable, cranky
4
: marked by perversion : perverted
perversely adverb
perverseness noun

Medical Definition

perverse

adjective
per·​verse pər-ˈvərs How to pronounce perverse (audio)
: being, relating to, or characterized by perversion
perverse sexual behavior

More from Merriam-Webster on perverse

Nglish: Translation of perverse for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of perverse for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway

How to Use Accents and Diacritical Marks
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Pilfer: How to Play and Win

The Words of the Week - May 24

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

9 Superb Owl Words

10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...